‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Episode 4 Recap and Ending Explained: The Series Just Killed Off Its Biggest Hero Yet and the Ending Sets Up Wolverine’s Next Nightmare

‘X-Men ’97‘ has never been shy about breaking hearts, but its latest episode may be the show’s most devastating gut punch since Gambit’s sacrifice. Season 2 Episode 4, titled ‘Rise of Apocalypse Part II,’ closes out the two part season opener with a death that fans are still processing, plus a post credits scene that changes everything for Wolverine going forward. Released on July 8, 2026, the episode builds toward a confrontation between Magneto and Apocalypse.

The episode picks up the Ancient Egypt storyline that has consumed much of the new season, and it does not let up until its final, brutal minutes. Between a shocking mutant death, an emotional Charles Xavier reckoning, and a stinger that reroutes the entire season, there is a lot to unpack from this installment of ‘X-Men ’97.’

“Rise of Apocalypse, Part II” Recap

The season 2 premiere cut its strongest episode, ‘Rise of Apocalypse,’ into two parts, giving audiences only the first half during the July 1 premiere. Part 2 continues the X-Men’s time travel journey into the past, where they encounter En Sabah Nur, the future Apocalypse. The episode opens with the reveal that Rama-Tut’s earlier attack has left Baal dead and Nur furious.

Charles manages to convince Nur that the X-Men are not his enemies, and Nur agrees to give them a chance, especially since they survived an attack from the Pharaoh that no one else did besides him.

Charles also gets Nur’s permission to probe his mind in search of a temple that was previously discovered inside Logos’s mind, and for a moment it genuinely seems like Magneto’s attempt to steer this younger version of Apocalypse toward a kinder path might actually work.

That fragile hope collapses once the group reaches the temple and realizes it is actually Apocalypse’s ship. Once inside, En Sabah Nur finally reads the ancient scriptures and learns that he is destined to become the most powerful mutant across every timeline, and that he is virtually unkillable. Furious that the X-Men lied to him about his fate, Nur turns on the team immediately and refuses to hear anything else Charles has to say.

Magneto’s Fate and What the Apocalypse Battle Means

Unable to stop Nur from drawing on the Celestial technology buried within the pyramid to complete his transformation into Apocalypse, the X-Men are forced to watch as their worst fears come true. After saving ancient Egypt, Magneto attempts to stop the increasingly powerful villain by sealing the black hole Apocalypse has opened, fully expecting the act to cost him his life.

A weakened Magneto collapses in front of Charles, where Apocalypse seizes him while Charles is forced to watch his friend die. Furious at the perceived betrayal, En Sabah Nur fully transforms into his robotic Apocalypse form and uses his powers to make Magneto’s head explode, killing him instantly. The show even underscores the moment with the same somber music cue used when Gambit died back in season 1. Bishop then returns to pull Charles back to the present, leaving Magneto’s fate sealed in the past.

This is no ordinary fake out death either. The Master of Magnetism has already survived two separate near death scares across the show’s run, but this one reads as far more permanent.

The moment marks a significant turning point for the series, since ‘X-Men ’97’ had previously teased Magneto’s death more than once before ultimately revealing he survived, and it lands even harder given how much of season 2 was spent rebuilding the bond between Magnus and Charles. Even so, it seems incredibly unlikely that Magneto will be gone for good, since he remains too popular and important a character for the Disney Plus animated series to write off permanently.

Wolverine’s Adamantium Storyline Takes Center Stage

The episode is not just about Magneto’s death though. It also delivers a surprise post credits scene that sets up next week’s episode, titled ‘Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.’ Since Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton was torn from his bones by Magneto back in season 1, the stinger reunites Logan with a couple of familiar faces, Captain America and Black Widow.

After the trio trade brief memories of working together decades earlier, Cap hands Logan a dossier stamped ‘Weapon X.’ The file suggests Wolverine is heading back to the very organization that originally fused the indestructible metal to his body.

In the comics, Weapon X is the brutal program responsible for grafting adamantium onto Wolverine’s skeleton and giving him his claws, and the twist here is that the ‘X’ actually refers to the number ten, meaning Logan was the tenth subject of the larger Weapon Plus initiative, with Captain America himself having been Weapon I.

Fans are already speculating about what else the scene might be hinting at, including the possible arrival of Weapon XIII, also known as Fantomex, or even a version of the Winter Soldier. For now, all signs point to Wolverine chasing down Weapon X specifically to reclaim what Magneto took from him.

Critical Reaction And What Comes Next For X-Men 97 Season 2

The response to the episode has been overwhelmingly positive, with critics calling it one of the strongest hours the show has produced. Den of Geek praised how the episode manages to make Apocalypse relatable despite his alien, single minded worldview, calling it a remarkable achievement for a thirty minute cartoon. The outlet also highlighted the episode’s real world relevance, noting that Apocalypse’s survival of the fittest philosophy echoes rhetoric found across certain news networks and online platforms today.

Reviewers have also been quick to call this the best ‘X-Men’ adaptation yet, a sentiment echoed across multiple outlets covering the episode’s fallout. The death arrives two years after ‘X-Men ’97’ first stunned viewers with Gambit’s sacrifice back in season 1 episode 5, and it cements Magneto as the latest major character to fall in the show’s ongoing willingness to kill off beloved figures.

Season 2’s voice cast includes Ross Marquand as Professor X, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and George Buza as Beast. The next episode of ‘X-Men ’97’ season 2 is scheduled to premiere on July 15, 2026.

With Magneto seemingly gone and Wolverine now chasing his own violent past, ‘X-Men ’97’ has set up two massive threads heading into next week. Do you think Magneto’s death will actually stick this time, or is the Master of Magnetism destined for another comeback before Wolverine even finishes tracking down Weapon X?